Bikepacking is like backpacking, but on a bike. Instead of hiking up a trail with your tent and sleeping bag on your back, you bike along the trail instead. Bike packing is all about getting outside, seeing fantastic landscapes and exploring long, remote trails while having fun.
Bike packing versus bike touring
To keep it simple, bike touring happens on a road and goes from town to town or city to city, while bikepacking happens on trails in the backcountry.
Bike tourers typically use road bikes and large panniers that can easily swallow a lot of gear, while in bikepacking the focus is typically weighted more towards traveling light with an “all-terrain” setup. That’s why you’ll usually see bikepackers on gravel bikes or mountain bikes, with triangular frame bags and other bike packing bags. Panniers can get caught on trees etc while trail riding, and they throw off the balance of the bike by weighting the back wheel, which can matter on bumpy trails.
But really, the two terms have some overlap. You can of course use a gravel bike or mountain bike, set up with bikepacking bags, for touring-style cycle trips on the road. Visit our store for all kinds of bike gear, including rear racks and bikepacking bags.
Blog posts about bike packing
Check out some of our blog posts related to bike packing below.
